Motaz Azaiza

Motaz Hilal Azaiza (Arabic: معتز هلال عزايزة; born 30 January 1999) is an Arab Muslim Palestinian photojournalist from Gaza, UNRWA affiliated, known for his coverage of the Oct 7 War and his large social media following. In 2023, he was named GQ Middle Easts Man of the Year, and one of his photographs was selected among Time magazine's top 10 photographs of 2023. He was also included on Times list of the Time 100 most influential people of 2024.

Azaiza's wartime photography received international attention. In September 2026, publications reported on remarks he made during an Arabic-language podcast interview concerning the October 7 attacks, beating Israeli hostages, media controls in Gaza, aid campaigns, Palestinians self inflicted injuries for money from Hamas, his political affiliations, and the conduct of Palestinians during the war. In the interview, Azaiza discussed his past affiliation with Hamas and subsequent affiliation with Fatah, as well as his experiences working as a photographer and documenting events in Gaza.

October 7 footage

In a September 2026 interview on the Taqarrab podcast (interview between Arab Palestinian podcaster Ahmed al-Biqawi [Ahmed Bikaoui] and Motaz Azaiza, published on September 3, 2026), Azaiza said he filmed Israeli hostages being beaten and assaulted after they were brought into Gaza on October 7, 2023, but did not publish the footage.

Azaiza recalled seeing a vehicle belonging to the Al-Qassam Brigades carrying Israeli captives. He said that people gathered around the captives, watched them, beat them and hit them while he followed the group and filmed. He said he chose not to publish the recordings because he did not want to expose the people who appeared in them to identification and Israeli military action. He said that he understood Israel could use the videos to identify people who had participated in the attacks on the hostages.

In another translated excerpt from the same interview, Azaiza described his reaction to the people surrounding the kidnapped captives. He referred to the captives first as "the Jews" before changing his wording to "the Israelis."

Holocaust comments

A separate translated excerpt from the interview concerned the Holocaust. Azaiza said, "It means nothing next to what is happening," when discussing the Holocaust in comparison with events in Gaza. The Arab interviewer agreed that Gaza was worse, characterizing the Holocaust as targeted while describing the war in Gaza as blanket targeting affecting everyone.

JFeed also included the Holocaust discussion among a series of translated excerpts from Azaiza's Arabic-language interview.

(See related: Nazism among Arab Palestinians).

Hamas control of media in Gaza

Azaiza described a WhatsApp group called Smart, which included every journalist working in Gaza. The group was under Hamas media operations and was used to coordinate media campaigns and pressure journalists whose reporting departed from the group's preferred narrative. He said such campaigns were not spontaneous.

Azaiza also said that photographers in Gaza had become accustomed to lowering their cameras whenever someone criticized Hamas. Journalists were facing relentless persecution when they showed material or statements that conflicted with Hamas's position. Azaiza said Hamas' controlled "Smart" app included every journalist working in Gaza at the time.

Azaiza also described that Palestinians who criticized Hamas were punished or killed. He also referred to Palestinians being thrown from rooftops, shot in the legs or burned, and asked why such deaths received little attention outside Gaza.

Aid campaigns and the period before October 7

In translated excerpts from the interview, Azaiza said that many 'people in Gaza hoped for a war,' for an escalation because war brought the attention of international organizations and employment opportunities. He said, "People only know us through war."

Azaiza also described staying awake until approximately 4 a.m. before October 7 to celebrate the success of videos he had produced in an effort to pressure the United States Congress to release $75 million in food aid through UNRWA. He said that his work involved producing videos, filming and showing the material to American audiences in order to generate pressure concerning the funding.

JFeed reported that UNRWA USA confirmed Azaiza had worked as a freelance content producer for the organization before the war.

2018 Great March of Return

Azaiza discussed the 2018 Great March of Return border demonstrations and described young men in Gaza burning their own legs with hot iron rods to create wounds resembling sniper injuries. According to his account, the purpose was to receive payments associated with people wounded during the demonstrations.

He said he had been present at the demonstrations while working with ambulances and therefore knew about the practice.

JFeed reported Azaiza's account together with his discussion of Hamas payments for deaths and injuries during the demonstrations.

"Political" affiliations

Azaiza said in the interview that he had supported Hamas when he was young before withdrawing from the organization. He said that he subsequently aligned himself with Fatah because university scholarships required affiliation with a particular political faction.

He also described Palestinian political violence and said that hundreds of Palestinians had been killed by other Palestinians, including people who were thrown from rooftops, shot in the legs or burned.

Views on Hamas and armed resistance

Azaiza criticized Hamas's conduct during the war organization's non-protection of Palestinian civilians. He had not seen a Palestinian in Gaza protected by Hamas's weapons from October 7 onward.

At the same time, JFeed reported that Azaiza said he continued to support "armed resistance," (terrorism) while claiming that he supported resistance "that brings results."

English-language reporting

Azaiza explained that he shifted much of his wartime media production into English rather than Arabic. In the translated interview, he said that Arabic-language content did not produce the same level of attention or assistance and that English-language communication reached audiences capable of providing greater international attention and funding.

Recognition

Azaiza's photography brought him international recognition during the Israel–Hamas war. Mediaite reported that he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and was included on Time magazine's 2024 list of the 100 most influential people. Time described his photographic documentation of life in Gaza during the early months of the war.

Appearances and relationships with public figures

Mediaite reported that Azaiza met New York City Islamo-socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani on multiple occasions. Azaiza posted a photograph with Mamdani in August 2025 during Mamdani's mayoral campaign, later attended Mamdani's election-night victory celebration, and visited Mamdani at Gracie Mansion in July 2026.

Fox News reported that a video also resurfaced showing children's entertainer Ms. Rachel referring to Azaiza as her "friend." The report appeared in connection with renewed attention to Azaiza's statements about filming Israeli hostages being beaten on October 7 and withholding the footage.

Westminster appearances by Gaza journalists

The Jerusalem Post, citing research by the Henry Jackson Society, reported that several Gaza-based journalists who worked within the media environment described by Azaiza subsequently appeared before British parliamentarians.

The report cited Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh's appearance in Parliament in September 2025, Azaiza's participation in a Nakba Day event at Westminster Central Hall in May 2024, Abubaker Abed's participation in a House of Commons panel in July 2025, and Youmna El Sayed's participation in a Westminster screening of Gaza in October 2024.

New York Post editorial

An editorial by the New York Post Editorial Board described Azaiza's interview as significant for its discussion of censorship, media controls and the suppression of footage showing attacks on Israeli hostages. How much in the media relied on his reporting in propagating the "genocide" lie. The editorial also highlighted Azaiza's statements concerning his meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas-aligned journalist group, Palestinian violence against Palestinians, and conditions in Gaza before October 7.

See also

• Palestinianism

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